Step On Your Toes
by boopboopglee
Summary: Rachel and Finn are together, but Rachel decides she needs to leave Finn while he isn't around. Puck stands by Rachel but keeps it from Finn. GREAT STORY!
1. Chapter 1

"Please don't leave." He said, half dejectedly as we stared at each other in the hallway, his hand on my suitcase.

I looked at Finn, it was hard to know that I loved him and still had to leave him. But I had to do it, it was what was best for him. He just didn't know the situation to understand it.

"Finn, get off of my stuff. I need to go." I pulled my suitcase toward me and he dropped his hand from the handle. I adjusted my purse and overnight bag on my shoulder, took a deep breath and turned around. "You weren't even supposed to be here." I whispered.

"So you _were_ planning on just leaving me." I looked at him over my shoulder. His width and height took up the whole hallway. He, though so big and tall, looked like a sad little boy. "Rachel, I don't even know that I did."

"Finn." I let go of the suitcase and let my purse and overnight bag fall from my shoulder. "You need to be a guy and we," I gestured between the two of us, "We are so-constricting."

"Constricting?" He rubbed the side of his neck and ran a hand through his hair. "I am sorry you feel that way, Rachel." He looked at the wall and rubbed it, like he was feeling memories around the apartment. "But if you want to," He swallowed hard and squinted, trying to find the words he didn't want to say, "just be f-friends we can do that. I think leaving the apartment is jumping the gun."

"It will be awkward." I said quietly. I didn't want to leave at all. _I'm pregnant_. I wanted to say. _I can't be with you anymore because I am having a baby and will not step on your toes and stop you from living your life because of this __**unplanned**__ pregnancy._

"But what about Puck and I? We were roommates before, can't we...just, I don't know, pretend nothing happened?" He moved his eyes all around the apartment, looking for some sort of refuge from the sinking feeling in his stomach. "Just, just for now."

I was already thirteen weeks pregnant and suffering from horrid morning sickness. It was a terrible thing trying to hide this from my roommates- one of which who is my boyfriend. I needed to get the hell out of here before they did catch on, though I am surprised they haven't yet.

"Fine." I said, giving up. Finn let out a breath of relief, though tainted with sadness. I didn't know what to do, I guess I was leaving tonight, since leaving while Finn was at work didn't pan out as I expected it to.

"We can make this work, Rachel." He picked up my suitcase and brought it to my bedroom, setting it down on my bed while I followed with my other two bags. "Being just friends again, I mean."

"Thank you, Finn." I smirked at him, trying to be anything but cold, but I could feel that it wasn't working on him. He knew me too well and could tell that I was on edge and uncomfortable. He half smirked back at me, though it didn't do anything to change the hurt in his eyes and walked out.

I hid in my room for most of the rest of the day, trying to figure out what else I could cram in my luggage.

"Rachel?" Puck said as he knocked on the door to my bedroom. I wiped tears away as quickly as I could, though he clearly saw me. "What's up? Can I sit down?"

"Sure, Puck. Eem- come in, come in." He sat down on the floor with me, grabbing my hands and staring at me.

"Hey." He said quietly, soothing me. I pulled my hands away from him and rubbed my brow, pulling my hair behind my ear and sniffling loudly.

"Hey what?"

"You were trying to leave today?" He searched my eyes, then furrowed his eyebrows.

"I can't live here, Puck. I need a new start, a fresh start."

"Why would you need a fresh start, Rachel? Your life is kind of amazing." He furrowed his brows and looked around my room. "You are still planning on leaving."

"No." I said quickly, looking around my room to see how he knew that I was trying to leave. "And... my life is far from perfect."

"Rachel, why are you really leaving?" He stared me down, I felt tears beginning to pool in my eyes.

"I just can't stay, Noah. Please just pretend we didn't talk." I wiped my eyes and stood up. He stood up too, though he seemed a little numb and confused.

"Tonight?" He whispered without looking at me. I 'mhm'ed a response. I half expected him to be angry with me, to run into the hallway and yell to Finn that I was still leaving, that I never intended to stay after this afternoon, but he hugged me.

He put his arms around me, encircling me in a circle of kindness and love. He smoothed my hair down and patted my back.

"Please don't tell him, Noah. He needs to think that this is for me, why I am leaving."

"You aren't leaving for you? Why are you leaving then, Rachel?" Noah pulled me back by my shoulders and looked at me critically. "I won't tell, Rachel."

"I'm pregnant." I said quietly, closing my eyes.

"So you are leaving him? Is it his?"

"Of course it is Finn's baby." I rubbed my brow again. "He can't be held back so much by me and the baby. I can do just fine by myself. I, Noah please, this is just something I need to do. Finn can't be held back by me, he just can't."

"How far along are you?"

"Thirteen weeks." I lifted my baby doll shirt up, showing my tiny baby bump. Noah put his hand on it, shut his eyes for a moment and drew a breath. "Noah, I am starting to show and I can't stay any longer or he will notice."

"Are you sure you want to do this?" Puck looked at me intently, waiting for my response. "If you keep this from him he might never forgive you."

"This is what has to happen. Please don't tell him, Noah." He hugged me more firmly this time.

"Secret's safe with me, princess." He kissed the top of my head and let me go, squeezing my shoulders. "You need to call me every day though because I need to make sure at least one person is watching out for you and I want it to be me."

"I love you, Puck."

"I love you too, Rachel, and I will love this baby." He smirked and shrugged. "I get to be Uncle Puck."

Later that night, after I assumed everyone had gone to sleep I quietly began bringing my bags into the hallway. As I walked into my bedroom to grab my purse Noah was standing there with a white envelope.

"I want you to take this and to call me when you get to wherever you are going. Stay close, Rachel."

I looked into the envelope, there was $800.00 inside.

"Noah, I-I can't take thi-."

"Take it. I won't take it back." He kissed the top of my head and stepped back. "Go, princess. Go before I change my mind."

"Thank you." I said as I walked out. "I _will_ call you."


	2. Chapter 2

I got to a motel on the outskirts of the city. It was a really good thing that Finn, Puck and I had moved from Lima, Ohio to Brooklyn three months after high school because I was able to get a cab and not have a car that Finn could see and know was mine sitting outside of the motel.

I changed the sheets, pillowcases and comforter on the bed and wiped everything down with pledge and Windex. I walked into the bathroom, cleaned with bleach and Clorox and moved my toiletries in there.

"This place is surprisingly nice." I said to myself. I had a queen sized bed, a bathroom and a small kitchen area. I didn't think Motel rooms were supposed to have kitchen areas. Maybe because I rented two months out, the man in the office gave me the one most livable. Anyway, I was thankful. I could actually live here.

I started thinking about Finn and Puck and high school as I started unpacking. It was two years ago, only two years ago! But it felt like a thousand years. We were all best friends- absolute best friends. In high school we did everything together, which was kind of funny because I ended up going to a lot of football games and they ended up going to the mall a lot.

We stuck up for each other, when a bitch that Puck was having sex with got jealous of me because he wanted to spend time with Finn and I, he dropped her like a bad habit. I think her name was Santana or something, but I can't remember for sure. Finn and I never dated, but we never dated anyone else either.

We were the three amigos. And now we weren't anymore. We were the two amigos with penises and one amiga that was missing from the apartment and her eggo was preggo. Well, I thought as I finished unpacking my big suitcase, this sucks.

I picked up my cellphone and dialed Puck's cell phone number. It was now 7:02am so he should have gotten up two minutes ago...unless he hit the snooze button.

Oh well, I was calling anyway.

"Hello?" I heard through the phone groggily.

"Hi, Puck." I said as I started pulling my blanket through my fingers. I had this blanket since high school, I thought, I was happy as hell that I had brought it here too.

"Oh! Hi, honey! How was everything? Are you okay?" he said sleepily, but happily. I could hear the bed squeak, signifying that he was sitting up.

"Everything is good. I am fine. I am at the Lake House Motel...you know the one. It isn't by a lake."

"Oh, okay, good. You stayed generally close, I can make the 45 minute drive like three times a week. That is really good." he yawned. "I am changing your name in my phone. I am putting it down as Stacey."

"Why Stacey?"

"Because I actually don't know a single Stacey. Anyway, I am going to refer to you as Stacey and stuff on the phone, that way no one thinks anything of it."

"Good plan, Puck."

"When is your next doctors appointment? By the way."

"It is on Thursday at Dr. Perry's Office." There was a short silence. "At three, ugh! Puck? Are you writing this down?"

"No." he said, though laughing slightly. "What time again?"

"Three...if you are, look like you love me when you get there." I heard him laugh quietly.

"You know that I love you very much." I smiled. "Stacy." He laughed then, contenting himself with a joke. "Ah, I, if I do say so myself, am a pisser."

"No, Pisser Puck, you are a Jew."

"Hey! You are too!" He laughed though. "Hey, Rachel?"

"Yeah, Puck?"

"He just got up. He hasn't figured out you are gone yet though. I'm going to get off of the phone, it shouldn't be long now."

"Okay. Thank you, Puck. I love you."

"Love you too, Berry. Stay safe, be careful."

I heard the receiver click, telling me he had hung up. I laid back on the newly made bed. This was going to be tough, I felt really bad.

_I had a dream my life would be, so different from this hell I'm living. _ I sang quietly to myself. I rolled onto my side, cupped my belly and drifted into an uneasy sleep.

I kept to myself until Thursday. I spoke to Puck many times daily, though I had to avoid calls from Finn. Every time I hit the ignore button my stomach rolled. This was going to be a long forever.

On Thursday Puck had decided that he was going to pick me up for my doctor's appointment.

At 2:11 someone knocked on my door. I looked through the eye hole in the door and Puck was standing there with a bouquet of daffodils and calla lilies.

"Hi!" I said as I swung open the door to my make-shift apartment. Puck pulled me into a firm hug, tucking his face in the crook of my shoulder.

"I missed you so much, Rachel." When he let me go, which seemed like a million years later, he handed me the flowers. "I got you these." He smiled. "Oh! I brought your pink and purple vase, you left it at our-my, my apartment."

"Thank you so much Noah." I started cutting the flowers while Noah got the vase. He filled it with luke warm water and put the powder in the water.

"Is this cut?" he asked picking up a newly trimmed daffodil. I nodded at him "Okay, cool." He put the stem in the flower and used it as a stirrer for the powder. "Perfect." he said as he finished.

"Noah, how is he?" I asked, focusing on the flowers but listening intently on what he was going to say.

"He is having a rough time, honestly." He looked over at me, I could feel him looking at me. "Maybe if you called him he would feel better, a little. Just a suggestion."

"These are really pretty, Noah." I said, nodding at what he said and placing all of the flowers into the vase and adjusting them to perfection.

"This place is pretty sweet, actually." Noah said, turning around to get a 360 view of the apartment then at me. "You are going to need a crib at some point."

"I already have one. My dads, who by the way are supportive of whatever decision I make, are sending me one soon. It is mine from when I was a baby."

"They've always been good with material things." Puck said winking.

"That was always about it." I said laughing and shrugging on my jacket.

"Lets get you to that vagina doctor!"

When we got to the offices Puck grabbed my hand and held it. When we got into our examination room and the doctor walked in, he squeezed it.

"So lovely to see such young, starry eyed parents." The doctor said smiling. "My name is Dr. Steven Perry, nice to meet you." He said to puck shaking his hand. "Wonderful to see you again, Rachel."

"He isn't the father." I said quickly. "He is my best friend, Noah Puckerman."

"Oh," the doctor said, "I am sorry for the mix up."

"It is fine." Noah said smirking. "I will be here for every doctor's appointment though."

"Well, that is wonderful." The doctor said smiling. "Let's get to it." The doctor said lifting my shirt up slightly, exposing my stomach. "Well, you popped."

"I know!" I said. "I look pregnant now, right?" I laid back while he put the cold gel on my stomach and waited for the ultrasound.

"Hear the heartbeat?" The doctor asked. "There is the baby."

It was silent in the room, the only noises were our breathing and the baby's heartbeat through the monitor.

"In one month we can find out the sex of the baby." The doctor concluded. "I will have the nurse print out the pictures and a copy of the DVD. Anything else you would like?" The doctor asked cheerfully.

"No, thank you so much Dr. Perry." I said, smiling.

"Wow." Puck whispered. I noticed then that he had tears dangerously close to falling out of his eyes. "Rachel, there is a baby in your belly."

"I know." Puck nodded, and I saw a tear land on his cheek. "Oh, Puck, don't cry." I rubbed his cheek and smiled at him. "Why are you crying?"

"It, just, you are having a _baby_. This is huge, I don't know. It just hit me. This," he gestured to himself, up and down, "Is happy."

"It'll be fine, Puck." I smiled. On the inside though I felt like a lead zeppelin, sinking. Finn should be here doing all of this, and he isn't being given the opportunity.


	3. Chapter 3

At fourteen weeks I called the apartment phone to talk to Finn.

"Hello?" Finn said generally happily.

"Finn?" I said breathlessly. "It, it's..."

"Rachel?" I heard Finn ask quizzically.

"Yeah."

"I called you a thousand times." He said bitterly.

"I know. I am sorry." I said sheepishly.

"You. Are. A. Bitch." He said loudly and cruelly. With that he hung up. I cried. I cried because it hurt to put myself out there and to be rejected. I cried because I was hormonal. But most of all, I cried because I knew I deserved it, completely.

At fifteen weeks I called Finn's cell phone. He wouldn't pick up.

At sixteen and seventeen weeks when I called he ignored my calls.

At eighteen weeks I found out I was having a girl. Puck cried again, and I decided he was probably going to be called Aunt Puck instead of Uncle Puck.

At nineteen weeks, after not trying all through my eighteenth week I called Finn again.

"Hello?" I heard through the phone. I breathed a sigh of relief. _At least he picked up this time._

"Will you please talk to me?" I asked quietly. I felt tears rush to my eyes. I needed to get a handle on my emotions or I was going to sob about not being able to talk to Finn while I was talking to Finn.

"There is nothing to talk about, Rachel." He said, his voice hard as stone.

"Finn, _please!_" I said into the phone. I sniffled back, trying to stop the tears, though they were flowing now. "Please, I just want to _talk_ to you. I know I don't deserve it but please?"

"Don't...don't cry, Rach." He said much more softly.

"I'm sorry." I said, though my voice broke from crying and I whispered a 'shit'. I heard him laugh quietly at my inability to not swear and it made me feel fantastic and horrible at the same time. "Finn, I am so sorry."

"I don't care about it anyway." He said. "What is past is past and we can both have separate lives now."

"Yes, that-that is t-true." I said as I took a deep breath in.

"Have you met anyone, _wherever _ you went?" He asked in a monotone voice, the only thing he said with any emotion was 'wherever' and he said it bitterly, almost spitting it at me.

"No, Finn, I haven't." I stated matter-of-factly. "Have- have you?"

"Yeah, actually." He said, he said it like he wanted it to sound happy, but it sounded like he was trying to hurt me. "She is everything I ever wanted."

"Oh, that is, eh, good. Really good, Finn." I could hear my voice starting to break again and I knew that he knew that what he said was killing me.

"Yeah, she is making this really easy for me. It is like you never existed." He was burying me, though I kind of thought he was doing it on purpose. I took a deep breath in and felt kind of like I was having a heart attack.

"That is great, Finn." I took a shaky breath and closed my eyes. _I shouldn't have called. _I put my hand on my stomach and rubbed. I felt her move and it calmed me a little.

"Yeah. Everything is perfect." He popped the 'p' in perfect and spit the words at me. After a few moments of silence he added, "Are we done, Rachel?" He was soft in the question and I wasn't sure of he meant he and I as a pair or the phone conversation.

"If you want to get off the phone, I understand." I said, my voice was so small.

"Yeah, I want to get off of the phone." He said quickly. "Rachel?"

"Yeah, Finn?"

"I missed your voice a lot." His voice broke. I knew he was either crying or about to cry. He confused me, he scared me. I loved him. I loved him so much.

Later on Puck came over for dinner.

"Hey, Berry." He smiled at me. "What's wrong?"

"I talked to Finn today." I said, pushing peas around my plate. I took a gulp of water and looked at Puck. "He found a girl?"

"What?"

"He said he found a girl, that she was perfect, that he was perfect and that it was like I never existed."

"Absolute crock of shit, I'm afraid." He shot me an apologetic look. "He only wants to talk about you, ever."

"Oh." I felt a little better, but still felt bad. I wondered why I was so unhappy when this was what I wanted.

"I created a cluster fuck." I said as Puck was leaving. "Didn't I."

"I'm sorry to tell you, but you did, Rachel." He kissed my head. "He still loves you though."


	4. Chapter 4

At 26 weeks Dr. Perry told me that my baby was beginning breathing movements. She was also moving when I rubbed my stomach. She responded to touch, it was the closest I ever felt to anyone ever.

At 27 weeks I felt a cramp, thought it was a contraction and laid on the bed with my feet up on the headboard.

When Noah walked in I gave him a dirty look.

"I shouldn't have given you a key." I said jokingly.

"Why are you laying like that?" Noah asked, pulling out a chair at my tiny kitchen table and plopping down.

"I had a cramp, I am hoping gravity makes it be the only cramp today." I closed my eyes and rubbed my eyebrow.

"A contraction? When?" Puck said, clearly getting nervous.

"At 3:30."

"Rachel, it is quarter to 7. I think you are fine." He laughed.

"I know but I am nervous. It is too early to have baby." I rubbed my belly, she kicked my hand.

At 32 weeks I decided what I would name her. It was a name that I knew Finn had loved since we were in high school and I figured that it would be my way to honor him.

"How is baby?" A nurse at my obstetrician's office asked.

"She is doing fantastically." I said, rubbing my belly and smiling at her.

"She picked a name." Noah said from his seat right beside me. "Don't bother asking her though, she won't tell anyone, including me."

"I did the same thing." The nurse smiled. "May I?" she asked. I was not sure what she was asking to do, but I said sure anyway. She rubbed my belly gently, and baby kicked her hand.

"She is a kicker." I whispered.

When we got in to see Dr. Perry he told me that baby was lower than usual in my abdomen and to expect that I will deliver earlier. He pushed my due date up an entire month.

At 36 weeks, well, at 36 weeks I went into labor.


	5. Chapter 5

At 36 weeks, well at 36 weeks I went into labor.

My water broke around 4:30, which was kind of terrible because Puck had just left and I was alone again. My water broke in the kitchen, which I sort of appreciated because that and the bathroom were the only tiled areas in the whole place.

I called Noah and Finn's apartment because Noah wasn't picking up his cell phone.

"Hello?" Finn answered.

"Hi, is Noah there?" I asked, panicking. I heard Finn scoff.

"Are you kidding me, Rachel? You barely ever call here and we haven't spoken in like two months and when you do call you don't even pretend to call for me." Finn huffed.

"I- aaah- I'm really sorry but please, is he there?"

"He was going to your place." _What the hell? He knew Noah was coming to my place? When did he figure out that Noah came to my place every other day?_

"What- uuuuh- what do you mean?" I asked nervously.

"Rachel, I am not stupid. He goes there all the time, he always smells like you when he comes back. He brings licorice rope when he goes, which you love too." Finn said matter-of-factly.

"Did he get home yet?" I asked, letting his knowledge of the situation slide. I was having generally close contractions and needed to get to the hospital.

"Are you fucking him?" Finn spat through the phone.

"What? Fuck no." I was about to cry. "I would never do that."

"I don't believe you." He said and he hung up.

"I need him!" I yelled as I threw the phone. I walked over to the window and looked outside. It was beautiful. It was June 15th, which would probably be the day that I delivered my baby.

About twenty minutes later, after I had waddled my way into the taxi and was about five minutes away from the hospital I got a phone call from Puck.

"Hey, what is wrong?"

"I am in labor, my contractions are three minutes apart. I am on my way to Methodist Hospital, please hurry." I said.

"Oh! Uuuh I am on my way."

When Puck got to the hospital I was being given my epidural.

"You're here!" I said as I picked my head up slightly.

"Okay, all done." A nurse said. "Off the record, I would say that you will have your baby very soon." Another contraction hit me.

"I would say so too." I was helped to lay back in the bed. "Thank you."

"I'm so sorry." Puck said, wiping hair away from my face.

"I called the apartment. Finn knows you come to my house. Did you know that?"

"I did."

"You didn't think to tell me?" He looked down for a moment. "He asked me if I was _fucking_ you and when I said I wasn't he told me that he didn't believe me."

"I am sorry, Rachel. I didn't want you to have any extra stress and go into premature labor."

"That worked out." I said gesturing to my body. "I went into premature labor anyway." I smiled at him and he smiled back.

"Are you ready for a baby?" He asked, grabbing my hand and kissing it.

"I am ready for this huge stomach to go away." I laughed, but then I got another contraction and the doctor came in.

"Are we ready for a baby?" Dr. Perry said as he came in the room.

"That seems to be the question to ask." I smiled at him. "But, seriously, yes. I am ready for her."

Two and a half hours I first held her. She looked like Finn. She had his color hair and eyes and she had his nose.

"Hi, honey." I whispered as I held her. "You look just like your daddy, little girl."

"Is there a name for this little princess?" A nurse asked, smiling at me, the baby, and Noah.

"Layla Grace Hudson."

"That is a fantastic name." She smiled at us again before leaving.

"Layla." Puck said, kissing her head. "I approve."

When we left the hospital and went back to my apartment, it seemed much scarier. I was nervous to be alone with Layla. I wanted her to know Finn, but it wasn't really possible because I had been a freak.

"Puck? Could you do be an incredibly weird favor?"

"Sure."

"You know how you come over like every other day, well do you think you could take one of Finn's dirty shirts when you come over?"

"That _is_ a really weird request."

"I want her to sleep with it in her crib. If it is dirty it will smell like him but if it is clean it may as well be any fabric smelling like Downy. I want her to feel like there is a father figure around."

"Sure." Puck said. He rubbed Layla's tiny hand and looked at me. "You know, she can have a father. He _is _alive."


End file.
